Stable-flooring.



PATENTED MAY 22, 1906. A. G. HUPPEL.

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.UNITED OFFICE.

- ADOLPH G.' HUPFEL, OF NEW YORK, N. Y., ASSIGNOR TO MICHAEL FLEGK, OF NEW YORK, N. Y:

STABLE-FLOORING.

' Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented May 22, 1906.

Application filed January 29,1906. Serial Nd. 298,362.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, AnoLrn G. HUPFEL, a

' citizen of the United States, and aresident of ,posed within the stall for the anima New York, county of NewYork, and State of New York, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Stable-Flooring, of which the following is a specification, the principle of theinvention being herein explained and the best mode in which I havecontemplated applying that principle, soasto distinguish it from other inventions.

My invention relates to flooring for stables, and-particularly for the stalls in stables.

The superior advantages of stone or cement asforming a dryand enduring foundation for stables orstalls have long been recognized; but it is objectionable to have the animals, especially horses, stand on the hard surface which these materials present. Accordingly numerous attempts-h ave been heretofore made to combine with such stone or cement foundation a plank floor pro erly disl to stand upon. a The object of my present invention is to provide a floor of this character that will be sim le and inexpensive in its construction as wel as easily removable for the purpose of cleansing the stall and for its own repair.

To this end my invention consists of means hereinafter fully described, and particularly set forth in the. claims.

The annexed drawings and the following descri tion set forth in detail certain means embov ying the invention, such disclosed meansconstitutingbut one of various forms in which the principle of the invention may be used.

In said annexed drawings, Figure 1 represents a plan view of a portion of a stable in cluding two stalls embodying my improvement; and Fig. 2 represents a vertical longitudinal cross-section of one of said stalls, taken upon a plane passing through the line 2 2, Fig. 1.

In Fig. 1 two stall areas A A are shown, separated from each other by a suitable partition B. The foundation E of such stalls is made of cement or similar material, so as to be impervious to moisture. To facilitate the drainage of the stalls, a gutter or drain G extends along their rear, and the surface of the stalls, as also of the adjacent part of the alleyway in the rear of such stalls, is downwardly inclined toward such drain,

In each stall area A, I depress that portion of the foundation which it is desired to floor with plank, so as to form a shallow basin or recess A Such basin or recess A is preferably of rectangular outline, as shown in aforesaid Fig. 1. It may of course cover the en tire stall area, if desired, although here sh own as being somewhat smaller than such area and centrally disposed therein. The rear end of recess A opens directly into gutter C, and the inclination of its bottom being the same as that of the stall-foundation it is readily apparent that it will be perfectly drained.

To form theplank flooring before referred to, I ,use a series of slats a of approximately the length of recesses A. These are longitudinally disposed in each recess, so as to leave a narrow opening between adjacent slats, thus affording afree passage for the urine .or other liquids through to the cement bottom, over which it flows to the, gutter C, and thus escapes. The depth of the recess A and the thickness of slats a should be the same, or nearly so, in order that the surface of the stall may be smooth and level. Inasmuch as such slats were they merely loosely laid in the recessA would readily become displaced by the stamping of the animal in the stall, it is necessary to provide means for securing them in theirplaces. Forthis purpose Iprorvide in the bottom of the recess and near each end a. series ofvertically-projecting pins a, equal in number to the number of slats a, designed to occupy such recess and preferably disposed in a transverse line, so as to lie in each case the same distance from the end of the slats. These pins, which would of course ordinarily be made of iron, are independent of each other and are embedded in the cement foundation of the stall at the time of the laying of the same. Their lower ends should be provided with heads a or similar means, whereby they are firmly anchored in such foundation, and their disposition vertically should be such as to bring their upper ends below the level. of the stall-floor proper. In other words, they should extend above the bottom of the recess a distance equal to a little less than half the depth of such recess. Each slat a of the plank flooring is provided with apertures a disposed so as to register when the slat is properly placed in the recess with two of these pins, one at each end. Each aperture a should extend entirely through the slat, and the two apertures in any slat should be equidistant from its ends to correspond with the arrangement of the pins 0.

Since it is desirable to have the entire area planked upon which the horse stands, while only the rear portion of such area re uires to be made removable for the purpose of cleansing the stall, I insert permanently in the forward end of the recess A one or more transverse planks a. In this way I lengthen the standing floor for the horse and at the same time shorten the movable planks, so that they maybe cut from standard-length planks. Moreover, since these transverse planks do not wear out so rapidly as the removable slats there is a considerable saving as to the cost of repairs.

The construction of my improved stablefiooring having thus been fully described, themanner of its use will require but little explanation. It should be pointed out, however, that by the disposition of apertures a in the slats, as well as by having them extend entirely through the slats, the latter may not only be turned end for end, but also turned bottom side over, and the effects of wear and warping thus counteracted. The ease with which they may be taken up and again placed in position not only adapts them for this pur-' pose, but also renders cleansing of the stall a very simple matter, there being no mechan ism whatever involved in the structure. This last feature is particularly noteworthy, since the building of a flooring as above described involves no special parts nor material not readily obtainable in any locality. At the same time there is nothing liable to breakage or apt to get out of order.

Having thus described my invention in detail, that which I particularly point out and distinctly claim is 1. In a stall, the combination with a recessed foundation, of a series of pins projecting above the bottom of such recess, andflooring-slats fitted to such recess and provided with apertures adapted to register with said pins. 7

2. In a stall, the combination with a reslats, whereby the latter are adapted to be turned over.

4; In a stall, the combination with a recessed foundation, of a series of independent pins embedded in said foundation and proj ecting above the bottom of such recess, and flooring-slats fitted to said recess and provided with apertures adapted to register with said pins; such apertures extending entirely through said slats, whereby the latter are adapted to be turned over.

5. In a stall, the combination with a foundation having a recess therein, a series of pins embedded in said foundation near each end of said recess and projecting above the bottom of the latter, and flooring-slats fitted to said recess and provided with apertures adapted to register with said pins the disposition of said pins and apertures being such as to permit the turning of said slats end for end, and said apertures extending entirely through said slats whereby the latter are adapted to be turned over.

6. In a stall, the combination with a recessed foundation, of a series of independent pins embedded in said foundation and pro-' jecting above the bottom of such recess, flooring-slats longitudinally fitted to said recess and provided with apertures adapted to register with said pins, and one or more transverse slats permanently secured in the forward end of said recess.

Signed by me this 14th day of January, 1906.

ADOLPH G. HUPFEL.

Attest:

CHRIS. G. HUPFEL, ANTON O. G. HUPFEL. 

